With an .htaccess file, you can determine how the server which addresses the requests to your Internet sites must act in various situations. This is a text file with directives that are executed when somebody tries to open your Internet site and what happens next depends on the content of the file. For instance, you could block a particular IP address from accessing the website, so the server will decline the visitor’s request, or you can redirect your domain to some other URL, so the server may redirect the visitor to the new web address. You may also use custom error pages or preserve any part of your Internet site with a password, if you place an .htaccess file in the correct folder. Many widely used script-driven applications, such as Joomla™, Drupal™ and WordPress, use an .htaccess file to operate correctly.